Meet Ginger Lawrence – Retail Manager, Sanders in Rochester
Where are you from? I grew up in Detroit until age 17, when we moved to Roseville. When I got married, we bought a house 1 ½ miles from my parents, and I still live in that house today.
Tell us about your career at Second Nature Brands.I started out as an Assistant Manager at the Morley Candy store in Eastpointe and was promoted to Manager after 2 years. That store closed 15 years later, and I moved to a brand new, much larger store that opened in St. Clair Shores. The St. Clair Shores location closed in 2020 and I was offered the opportunity to manage the Rochester store.
What can you tell us about your family? My husband passed away four years ago. We were married for 35 years. I have 2 daughters, Michelle and Kristi and 6 grandchildren (3 boys and 3 girls). My granddaughter, Chantelle got married 3 years ago, and she and her husband Taylor are expecting their first child, a boy, at the end of September. Carter will be my first great-grandchild and I’m very excited for his arrival.
What do you like to do in your spare time? I love working in my yard. I also enjoy spending time with my grandkids. They’re all involved in sports, so I attend lots of gymnastics, football, and soccer games.
What is your favorite thing about working at Second Nature Brands?The people. I enjoy helping the customers find items they’re looking for. We have a lot of regular customers. Some of the regular customers from the Eastpointe store started coming to the St. Clair Shores store. I get to know some of the customers and what items they like to buy. It’s interesting how much you get to know about them! I try to always greet customers with a smile and to be pleasant. Sometimes you can tell a person isn’t in the best mood when they come into the store, but a simple compliment or a pleasant word can change their demeanor. I also like to thank customers for coming in on their way out and wish them a nice day. Second Nature Brands is a great company to work for.
It sounds like you’ve developed relationships with some of your customers! Yes, in fact, I just recently received a Christmas card in the mail that had been modified to a “Christmas in July” card. It was from a customer who remembered the Christmas in July sales we used to have and wanted me to know she misses those events and the other two stores I previously worked at.
Do you have a favorite memory from your long career? One time the previous owners took all the managers to a Detroit Tigers game. The managers were able to spend time together talking about things other than business and we had a great time! We all went to dinner together after the game. It was so nice spending the day downtown, letting loose and enjoying the day. The Tigers won that day too!
What is your favorite Second Nature Brands product? Without a doubt, the peanut butter block! That’s the item I bring to the family too!